Interactions between Quantifier Scope and Topic/Focus

This paper explores interactions between quantifier scope and topic/focus. More specifically, it is demonstrated that quantifier raising (as in English) can be accounted for as a consequence of covert topic/focus movement to higher projections. First, the delta QP hypothesis is proposed, which is characterized by (a) a universal principle of movement to Δ projection to satisfy [+topic] and [+focus] features and (b) parameterized strength of these features. Following Lambova\u27s (2004) account of Bulgarian, these features are strong and thus NPs with these features must undergo movement prior to Spell-Out. On the other hand, these features are weak in English and therefore movement must take place after Spell-Out. This follows the absence of Topic/Focus obligatory movement in English. Second, it will be shown that the above proposal indeed corresponds to the scope interpretations of quantifiers under specific topic and focus allocation. Finally, it is shown that the delta QP hypothesis makes accurate predictions for Bulgarian quantifiers

Pituitary Gland Functional Connectivity and BMI

The pituitary gland (PG) influences body weight through hormonal releases; however, the relation between body weight and PG’s co-activities with other brain regions remains unclear. Here, we aimed to identify (1) the functional connectivity of the PG and (2) PG functional connectivity associated with body mass index by examining resting state functional magnetic imaging (rsfMRI) data. Using enhanced Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland Sample, PG functional connectivity of 494 individuals was analyzed to assess in voxel-wise fashion. A negative association was found between BMI and PG functional connectivity with the orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus, putamen and temporal lobe. Our results show PG dysconnectivity to these regions is associated with higher BMI and implicate that the connectivity between these dopaminergic regions and PG is associated with body weight maintenance through feeding behavior and growth

Disrupted Olfactory Integration in Schizophrenia: Functional Connectivity Study

Background Evidence for olfactory dysfunction in schizophrenia has been firmly established. However, in the typical understanding of schizophrenia, olfaction is not recognized to contribute to or interact with the illness. Despite the solid presence of olfactory dysfunction in schizophrenia, its relation to the rest of the illness remains largely unclear. Here, we aimed to examine functional connectivity of the olfactory bulb, olfactory tract, and piriform cortices and isolate the network that would account for the altered olfaction in schizophrenia. Methods We examined the functional connectivity of these specific olfactory regions in order to isolate other brain regions associated with olfactory processing in schizophrenia. Using the resting state functional MRI data from the Center for Biomedical Research Excellence in Brain Function and Mental Illness, we compared 84 patients of schizophrenia and 90 individuals without schizophrenia. Results The schizophrenia group showed disconnectivity between the anterior piriform cortex and the nucleus accumbens, between the posterior piriform cortex and the middle frontal gyrus, and between the olfactory tract and the visual cortices. Conclusions The current results suggest functional disconnectivity of olfactory regions in schizophrenia, which may account for olfactory dysfunction and disrupted integration with other sensory modalities in schizophrenia

The effects of human visual sensory stimuli on N1B amplitude: An EEG study

Sensory systems are widely known to exhibit adaptive mechanisms. Vision is no exception to input dependent changes in its sensitivity. Recent animal work demonstrates enhanced connectivity between neurons in the visual cortex. The purpose of the present experiment was to evaluate a human model that noninvasively alters the amplitude of the N1b component in the visual cortex of humans by means of rapid visual stimulation. Nineteen participants (Mage = 24 years; 52.6% male) completed a rapid visual stimulation paradigm involving black and white reversal checkerboards presented bilaterally in the visual field. EEG data was collected during the visual stimulation paradigm, which consisted of four main phases, a pre-tetanus block, photic stimulus, early post-tetanus, and late post-tetanus. The amplitude of the N1b component of the pre-tetanus, early post-tetanus and late post-tetanus visual evoked potentials were calculated. Change in N1b amplitude was calculated by subtracting pre-tetanus N1b amplitude from early and late post-tetanus. Results demonstrated a significant difference between pre-tetanus N1b (M = −0.498 µV, SD = 0.858) and early N1b (M = −1.011 µV, SD = 1.088), t (18) = 2.761, p = 0.039, d = 0.633. No difference was observed between pre-tetanus N1b and late N1b (p = 0.36). In conclusion, our findings suggest that it is possible to induce changes in the amplitude of the visually evoked potential N1b waveform in the visual cortex of humans non-invasively. Additional work is needed to corroborate that the potentiation of the N1b component observed in this study is due to similar mechanisms essential to prolonged strengthened neural connections exhibited in cognitive structures of the brain observed in prior animal research. If so, this will allow for the examination of strengthened neural connectivity and its interaction with multiple human sensory stimuli and behaviors

Pituitary Gland Functional Connectivity and BMI

The pituitary gland (PG) influences body weight through hormonal releases; however, the relation between body weight and PG’s co-activities with other brain regions remains unclear. Here, we aimed to identify (1) the functional connectivity of the PG and (2) PG functional connectivity associated with body mass index by examining resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Using enhanced Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland Sample, PG functional connectivity of 494 individuals was analyzed to assess in voxel-wise fashion. A negative association was found between BMI and PG functional connectivity with the orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus, putamen, and temporal lobe. Our results show PG dysconnectivity to these regions is associated with higher BMI and implicate that the connectivity between these dopaminergic regions and PG may be associated with body weight maintenance through feeding behavior and growth

Estimation of dynamic bivariate correlation using a weighted graph algorithm

© 2020 by the authors. Dynamic correlation is the correlation between two time series across time. Two approaches that currently exist in neuroscience literature for dynamic correlation estimation are the sliding window method and dynamic conditional correlation. In this paper, we first show the limitations of these two methods especially in the presence of extreme values. We present an alternate approach for dynamic correlation estimation based on a weighted graph and show using simulations and real data analyses the advantages of the new approach over the existing ones. We also provide some theoretical justifications and present a framework for quantifying uncertainty and testing hypotheses

Mood stabilizers and/or antipsychotics for bipolar disorder in the maintenance phase: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

© 2020, The Author(s). We searched Embase, PubMed, and CENTRAL from inception until 22 May 2020 to investigate which antipsychotics and/or mood stabilizers are better for patients with bipolar disorder in the maintenance phase. We performed two categorical network meta-analyses. The first included monotherapy studies and studies in which the two drugs used were specified (i.e., aripiprazole, aripiprazole once monthly, aripiprazole+lamotrigine, aripiprazole+valproate, asenapine, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, lamotrigine+valproate, lithium, lithium+oxcarbazepine, lithium+valproate, olanzapine, paliperidone, quetiapine, risperidone long-acting injection, valproate, and placebo). The second included studies on second-generation antipsychotic combination therapies (SGAs) (i.e., aripiprazole, lurasidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, and ziprasidone) with lithium or valproate (LIT/VAL) compared with placebo with LIT/VAL. Outcomes were recurrence/relapse rate of any mood episode (RR-any, primary), depressive episode (RR-dep) and manic/hypomanic/mixed episode (RR-mania), discontinuation, mortality, and individual adverse events. Risk ratios and 95% credible interval were calculated. Forty-one randomized controlled trials were identified (n = 9821; mean study duration, 70.5 ± 36.6 weeks; percent female, 54.1%; mean age, 40.7 years). All active treatments other than carbamazepine, lamotrigine+valproate (no data) and paliperidone outperformed the placebo for RR-any. Aripiprazole+valproate, lamotrigine, lamotrigine+valproate, lithium, olanzapine, and quetiapine outperformed placebo for RR-dep. All active treatments, other than aripiprazole+valproate, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and lamotrigine+valproate, outperformed placebo for RR-mania. Asenapine, lithium, olanzapine, quetiapine, and valproate outperformed placebo for all-cause discontinuation. All SGAs+LIT/VALs other than olanzapine+LIT/VAL outperformed placebo+LIT/VAL for RR-any. Lurasidone+LIT/VAL and quetiapine+LIT/VAL outperformed placebo+LIT/VAL for RR-dep. Aripiprazole+LIT/VAL and quetiapine+LIT/VAL outperformed placebo+LIT/VAL for RR-mania. Lurasidone+LIT/VAL and quetiapine+LIT/VAL outperformed placebo+LIT/VAL for all-cause discontinuation. Treatment efficacy, tolerability, and safety profiles differed among treatments

Pharmacological treatment for bipolar mania: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of double-blind randomized controlled trials

A systematic review and random-effects model network meta-analysis was conducted to compare the efficacy, acceptability, tolerability, and safety of pharmacological interventions for adults with acute bipolar mania. We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase databases for eligible studies published before March 14, 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of oral medication monotherapy lasting ≥10 days in adults with mania were included, and studies that allowed the use of antipsychotics as a rescue medication during a trial were excluded. The primary outcomes were response to treatment (efficacy) and all-cause discontinuation (acceptability). The secondary outcomes were the improvement of mania symptoms and discontinuation due to inefficacy. Of the 79 eligible RCTs, 72 double-blind RCTs of 23 drugs and a placebo were included in the meta-analysis (mean study duration = 3.96 ± 2.39 weeks, n = 16442, mean age = 39.55 years, with 50.93% males). Compared with the placebo, aripiprazole, asenapine, carbamazepine, cariprazine, haloperidol, lithium, olanzapine, paliperidone, quetiapine, risperidone, tamoxifen, valproate, and ziprasidone outperformed response to treatment (N = 56, n = 14503); aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone had lower all-cause discontinuation; however, topiramate had higher all-cause discontinuation (N = 70, n = 16324). Compared with the placebo, aripiprazole, asenapine, carbamazepine, cariprazine, haloperidol, lithium, olanzapine, paliperidone, quetiapine, risperidone, tamoxifen, valproate, and ziprasidone outperformed the improvement of mania symptoms (N = 61, n = 15466), and aripiprazole, asenapine, carbamazepine, cariprazine, haloperidol, lithium, olanzapine, paliperidone, quetiapine, risperidone, valproate, and ziprasidone had lower discontinuation due to inefficacy (N = 50, n = 14284). In conclusions, these antipsychotics, carbamazepine, lithium, tamoxifen, and valproate were effective for acute mania. However, only aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone had better acceptability than the placebo

Star Formation History of Omega Centauri Imprinted in Elemental Abundance Patterns

The star formation history of the globular cluster Omega Centauri is investigated in the context of an inhomogeneous chemical evolution model in which supernovae induce star formation. The proposed model explains recent observations for Omega Cen stars, and divides star formation into three epochs. At the end of the first epoch, ~ 70% of the gas was expelled by supernovae. AGB stars then supplied s-process elements to the remaining gas during the first interval of ~300 Myr. This explains the observed sudden increase in Ba/Fe ratios in Omega Cen stars at [Fe/H] ~ -1.6. Supernovae at the end of the second epoch were unable to expel the gas. Eventually, Type Ia supernovae initiated supernova-induced star formation, and remaining gas was stripped when the cluster passed through the newly formed disk of the Milky Way. The formation of Omega Cen is also discussed in the framework of globular cluster formation triggered by cloud-cloud collisions. In this scenario, the relative velocity of clouds in the collision determines the later chemical evolution in the clusters. A head-on collision of proto-cluster clouds with a low relative velocity would have converted less than 1% of gas into stars and promoted the subsequent chemical evolution by supernova-driven star formation. This is consistent with present observed form of Omega Cen. In contrast, the other Galactic globular clusters are expected to have formed from more intense head-on collisions, and the resultant clouds would have been too thin for supernovae to accumulate enough gas to form the next generation of stars. This explains the absence of chemical evolution in these other globular clusters.Comment: 7 pages including 3 figures, to appear in Ap

Verbal Fluency in Aphasia and Right Hemisphere Brain damage: Qualitative Analysis Yields Relationship to General Cognitive Factors

Adults with aphasia, right hemisphere damage or no brain damage completed a verbal fluency task alone and in a dual-task paradigm. The purpose of this study was to specify further relationships between domain-specific (i.e., word-finding, fluency) and domain-general skills (i.e., attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility) by examining not only accuracy, but also the nature of subjects’ responses (e.g., word frequency, category prototypicality) within and across fluency task conditions. Preliminary analyses demonstrated significant qualitative and quantitative differences across groups, conditions, and time. Results are examined with respect to theoretical and clinical implications for adults with aphasia or right-hemisphere brain damage